A paternity test uses DNA information to find out whether a man is or is not the biological father of a particular child. Although there is some risk involved, a DNA paternity test can be used even before a child is born. After the child is born, there is of course no risk to the child and can be done at any time.

How Does It Work?

DNA is Deoxyribonucleic acid and is found in every living thing. It holds the building blocks of your genes and decides which traits are passed from your parents to you and which traits are not. DNA looks a bit like a twisted ladder. Each side of a DNA strand are actually four bases and the middle lines are actually hydrogen bonds. They connect the sides together. It is basically a list of codes or instructions which dictate physical qualities that are in our genes.

When you take a paternity test, you are required to submit some sort of samples. It may be blood, saliva from the inside of your mouth or even your hair. Testers then extract the DNA from these samples and finds the loci or locations of the DNA helix. These are then compared to those of the supposed father or child and are analyzed to determine a connection. Half of the loci from a child's sample must match the loci from the supposed father in order for him to be declared the father. If three or more do not match, he is not the father of the child. In some cases, depending upon which traits match, further testing may be needed.

There are a few common DNA testing methods, including the cheek swab or blood testing. With the cheek swab test, there is no pain involved and a cotton swab is used to collect a sample from the inside o the cheek. A blood test involves a very small lancet to prick the finger. The blood is collected on a special card. Children should have the swabbing method done or tested by a doctor. Should the child's supposed father be deceased or unavailable, his parents can have samples collected and the paternity can still be determined with this method.

Paternity tests have come a long way from individuals having to visit a special clinic or doctor and paying an arm and a leg to have the test done to home tests which cost less than a family meal. With discreet packaging and personal options based on your desires, home paternity testing is making the determination of fatherhood much easier and more convenient.